Merchandise display apparatus



Feb. 15, 1938. J. E. BARS] MERCHANDISE DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [NI/EN TOR Jwzs E. BARS] 5 01% ATTORNEY Feb. 15, 1938. BARS: 2,108,09fi

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY APPARATUS Filled. June 18, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 vBEER BEER BE) MR1: VL- {3H1 x\ CID-3 CHIS-3 LA ER LAGER BEER BE R INVENTOR; JAMES E. BAR! ATTORNEY Feb. 15, 1938. J; E. BARS! MERCHANDISE DI SPLAY APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 18, 1937 FIG-.8.

I N VENTOR JAMES E. BARS! B /WZfiW ATTORNEY Patented F eb; 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE James E. Barsi,

ration of Missouri Newark, N. J., assignor to Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St.

Louis, Mo., a. co p Application June 18, 1937, Serial No. 148,922

14 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus of the kind that are used for advertising and displaying merchandise and has for its main object to provide an advertising and/or display apparatus that is of attractive appearance and of such construction that, in addition to holding a plurality of samples of the advertised product in such a way that said samples may be easily handled and inspected by the public, it will also display in an attractive manner other articles or packages containing material that is particularly adapted for use in connection with the advertised product. For example, if the apparatus is intended to be used primarily to advertise a certain brand of beer, it will be equipped with a tray or equivalent part for holding a plurality of bottles or cans of beer and it will also be equipped with a shelf or equivalent part for sustaining packages of various kinds of food that are frequently served With beer, such for example, as pickles, olives, cheese, sausage, crackers, etc.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to that is inexpensive to construct, light in weight, strong and rigid in con- 8 struction and of such design that it can be shipped or stored in a folded or collapsed condition and thereafter easily set up in the place where the advertised product is being sold.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan View of my improved display apparatus in a collapsed or folded condition.

Figure 2 is an edge view of said folded apparatus showing in broken lines how the hinged side members are intendedto be arranged in the operation of setting up the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the supporting structure after it has been set up, showing in broken lines how the topmost container or beer case is unfolded and positioned at the topof the stack on the base portion of the supporting structure.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the complete apparatus after it has been set up.

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of said apparatus.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the tray showing it in a partially collapsed condition; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the apparatus howing how it appears when in use, the tray being filled with bottles and cans of beer and the shelf of the supporting structure having positioned thereon jars or bottles containing food products that are usually served with beer.

The apparatus is preferably constructed from fairly heavy or rigid cardboard, although it may be constructed from any other suitable material that is of sufficiently low cost and light enough in Weight to make it practicable for a manufacturer of a product or material to use the apparatus as an advertising novelty which is given to retail dealers who sell the advertised product. I have herein illustrated the apparatus as being used for advertising beer that is sold in bottles or cans, but I Wish it to be understood that the apparatus is capable of use for advertising various other articles, products or materials and that various changes may be made in the shape of the component parts of the apparatus and the way they are combined or held in assembled relationship without departing from the spirit of my invention. Briefly described, the apparatus may 20 be said to comprise a collapsible supporting structure constructed so as to represent or simulate a stack or pyramid of containers of the kind in which the advertised product is packed, an open tray on said supporting structure for holding samples of the advertised product in such a Way that the public may easily handle or inspect said samples, and a shelf, ledge, or equivalent part on said supporting structure on which may be arranged packages containing materials or articles 30 that are particularly adapted for use with the advertised product.

When the apparatus is employed to advertise beer the supporting structure is made so as to represent a plurality of beer cases :1: arranged in stacked relationship so as to form a base portion of substantial area on which a single beer case as is mounted in such a position that part of the top surface of said base portion will serve as a shelf for sustaining a plurality of jars or bottles y that contain food of the kind that is usually served with beer. The tray 2 that is used to hold the samples of the advertised product is preferably provided with an inclined bottom or is of the tapered hopper type so that when a number of cans or bottles of beer s are dumped into the tray they will present a jumbled effect as shown in Figure 8, and as the samples are removed from the tray the remaining samples will have a tendency to slide downwardly in the tray. The topmost case or container :12 of the stack is open at its upper end so that the tapered bottom tray a may be set into same and, if desired, said tray may be provided with an upwardly projecting portion that carries an advertisement relating to the product held by the tray.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, the base portion of the supporting structure previously mentioned is composed of a vertically disposed front piece I and two side members 2 that are joined to said front piece in such a way that said side members may be arranged at right angles to the front piece I as indicated in broken lines in Figure 2 when the apparatus is being set up or unfolded, or arranged in substantially parallel relationship to said front piece I when the apparatus is collapsed or folded as shown in Figurel. The outside faces of each of the side members 2 are printed or lithographed so as to represent the side portions of two or more cases of beer arranged in stacked relationship and the outside face of the front piece I is printed or lithographed so as to represent the ends of four or more stacked beer cases, said front piece I being provided with substantially oblong-shaped openings 3 that represent hand-holes in the ends of the beer cases. The front piece I and the two side members 2 are preferably formed from a single piece of cardboard or other suitable material that is scored or creased so as to produce hinged joints between the parts I and 2 that permit them to be folded or unfolded as previously explained although it is not absolutely essential that the side members 2 of the structure be integrally connected to the front piece I or formed from the same piece of material from which said front piece is constructed.

In order that the side members 2 will be strong and rigid and capable of sustaining a load of considerable weight, said side members have attached to same pieces of cardboard or other suitable material that cooperate with said side members to form in effect collapsible tubular structures of substantially oblong shape in horizontal cross-section. As herein illustrated the two hinged wings that constitute the side members of the supporting structure of the apparatus each comprise an outer side wall part 2 (see broken lines in Figure 2), an inner side wall 4 and an end wall 5. The end wall 5 is connected by hinged joints to the outer ends of said inner and outer side wall portions 2 and 4 respectively, so as to lie between the same when the apparatus is set up and the inner ends of said side wall portions 2 and 4 are connected by hinged joints to the front piece I of the supporting structure. Preferably portions of the inner walls 4 above referred to are slit, bent laterally, and attached to the outer wall portions 2 so as to form internal braces 4a for the hinged tubular structures that form the side parts of the supporting structure of the apparatus. Due to the hinged connections between the front piece I and the component parts of the hollow side members formed by the parts 2 and 4, said hollow side members may be collapsed and arranged in parallel relationship with the front piece I when the apparatus is in storage or in transit, or may be arranged as shown in broken lines in Figure 2 when the apparatus is being set up. As previously stated the outer wall portions 2 of the hollow side members are preferably formed by integral portions of the cardboard that constitutes the front piece I of the supporting structure and the inner wall 4 and the end wall 5 of each of said hollow side members are preferably formed from a separate piece of cardboard or the like, attached to the parts I and 2 in such a way as to produce a rearwardly projecting tubular upright at one end of the front piece I that may be collapsed or folded in a flat condition. At the upper end of each of the side members 2 is a hinged shelf piece 6 provided with a hinged locking flange I as shown in Figure 1. In the operation of setting up the apparatus the hollow side members 2 are distended or moved into a position at right angles to the front piece I and the shelf pieces 6 attached to the upper ends of the outer wall portions of said side members are then moved downwardly and the flanges I thereon are inserted in slots 8 formed in the topedges of the end walls 5 and in the internal braces 4a, the edges of the flanges I being provided with slots Ia, as shown in Figure 1, that receive the end walls 5 and the internal braces 4d and thus cause the hollow side members to be securely held against accidental collapsing.

The topmost case or container at of the stack is formed by an open ended tubular member of oblong shape in cross-section, provided with four upright walls that are joined together by hinged joints in such a way as to permit said tubular member to be collapsed or folded flat with the various walls of same disposed in parallel relationship. The end walls of said topmost case x are provided with openings w to represent handholes and the front wall of said topmost case x is joined at its bottom edge to the top edge of the front piece I of the supporting structure by a hinged portion 9 which forms part of the shelf that is used to sustain the packages 1/ previously mentioned. The hinged shelf portion 9 permits the topmost case at, when it is collapsed, to be arranged in parallel relationship with the front piece I and when the apparatus is being set up the shelf portion 9 is moved into a position at right angles to the front piece I as indicated in Figure 3 so as to arrange the case or container at at the top of the stack. At such times the topmost case 11: is securely supported by the two tubular side members 2 and hence is capable of sustaining the load of the tray 2 and contents of same. The shelf portion 9 attached to the front wall of the topmost case, and the shelf pieces 6 at the upper ends of the side members of the supporting structure cooperate with each other to form a rigid shelf that extends around the three sides of the topmost case :r at the low er end of same. Preferably, the slots 8 in the end walls 5 of the tubular side members are made wide enough so as to permit the end walls of the topmost case :0 to be inserted in said slots alongside of the locking flanges I when the apparatus isbeing set up, thereby causing the topmost case .r to act as a tie bar which assists in holding the hinged side members of the supporting structure in parallel relationship or, in other words, prevents said side members from spreading outwardly. In order to further reinforce and strengthen the structure and prevent spreading of the side members 2 the rear wall of the topmost case as is provided with a rigid extension or retaining flange I9 having slots Illa, in its bottom edge as shown in Figure 1 that are adapted to be arranged in interlocking relationship with slots l Ia formed in rearwardly projecting lugs or bracketpieces II on the inner walls 6 of the tubular side members of the supporting structure as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the said lugs or bracket pieces II being preferably formed by rigid, integral extensions on the inner wall portions 4 produced by partially severing portions of the pieces of cardboard that constitute the end walls 5 of the hollow side members. When the apparatus is collapsed or folded the extensions or bracket pieces ll lie in holes I2 formed in the end walls 5.

The tray 2, as previously stated, is of the hopper type and is preferably provided with inclined side and end walls so as to form a tapered bottom receptacle open at its upper end. In order that said tray may be folded in a flat condition, the

"end walls of same are scored or creased at l3 as shown in Figures 4 and '7 so as to produce in effect two hinged portions that can be folded fiat between the two side wall portions of the tray when the tray is not in use. In assembling the apparatus the tray 2 is distended or unfolded and then set into the open upper end of the topmost case x of the stack after the supporting structure has been set up as previously described. If desired, the tray 2 may be provided with an upwardly projecting advertising portion formed by an integral extension M on the rear wall of the tray provided at its ends with hinged flaps Him that are integrally attached to portions of the end walls of the tray. Means is preferably provided for maintaining the tray in operative relationship with the topmost case of the stack and in the form of my invention herein illustrated, said means comprises integral tabs or projections l5 on the front and end walls of the topmost case x that project upwardly through slots It in the tray, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4.

An apparatus of the construction above described constitutes a very efficient medium for advertising various kinds of merchandise, such as bottles or cans of beer, as it can be placed on the floor of a store and used for holding bottles or cans of beer in a position where they attract the attention of the public and have a tendency to cause a customer to pick up a sample of the product and examine it. In addition to serving as a display stand of counter heighth capable of holding a large number of cans of beer in a jumble-d condition, it also has provision for attractively displaying numerous other kinds of food products that are generally served with beer. The apparatus is inexpensive to construct, it is light in weight, it can be folded into a compact bundle so that it takes up very little space when in storage or in transit, and when it is set up it is rigid enough and of sufficient floor area to eliminate the possibility of its accidentally being knocked over by a passing customer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A merchandise display apparatus, consisting of a collapsible supporting structure made to represent or simulate a plurality of containers of the kind in which an advertised product is packed and constructed so as to be capable of being folded or collapsed when not in use, a tapered bottom tray mounted on said supporting structure and containing samples of the advertised product, and a shelf on said supporting structure having a continuous or unbroken surface on which is removably mounted articles or packages containing material that is adapted for use in connection with the advertised product.

2. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 1, in which the tray is removable and collapsible and said shelf is disposed at a point below said tray.

3. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 1, in which the supporting structure is channel shape in horizontal section, the shelf is disposed so as to extend across the front wall and end walls of said structure, and the tray is provided with an upwardly projecting advertising portion.

4. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 1, in which the supporting structure is channel shape in horizontal section and is made to represent a plurality of beer cases arranged in stacked relationship and the tray projects downwardly into the topmost container of the stack.

5. A merchandise display apparatus, comprising a substantially channel shape collapsible supporting structure composed of a front piece hinged to side members that are adapted to be arranged at right angles to said front piece, and a top portion constructed to represent a container, joined to said front piece by a hinged shelf portion.

6. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 5, provided with means for maintaining said side members in properly adjusted position with relation to said front piece.

7. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 5, in which said side members consist of collapsible tubular structures.

8. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 5, in which the side members consist of collapsible tubular structures that are held against spreading or outward movement by coacting interlocking portions on said side members and the said topportion.

9. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 5, in which the side members consist of collapsible tubular structures, with which said top portion is detachably interlocked and in which said top portion is provided with a tray that is interlocked with the same.

10. A merchandise display apparatus, provided with a base portion composed of a vertically disposed front piece, side members of substantially tubular form hinged to said front piece and constructed so as to be capable of being collapsed, shelf pieces on said side members provided with means for holding said side members in a distended condition, a collapsible top portion constructed to represent a container and joined to said front piece by a hinged shelf portion, and a collapsible tray removably mounted on said top portion for holding samples of the advertised product.

11. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 10, in which said top portion is provided with a part that is adapted to be interlocked with coacting portions on said side members to hold said side members in operative relationship with said front piece.

12. An apparatus for advertising beer, comprising a base portion constructed to represent or simulate a plurality of beer cases arranged in stacked relationship and composed of a vertically disposed front piece equipped with openings that represent handholes in the beer cases, collapsible side members hinged to said front piece, hinged shelf pieces at the upper ends of said side members provided with looking flanges for holding said side members in a distended condition, a collapsible top portion constructed to represent a case of beer mounted on said stack, said top portion being joined to the top edge of said front piece by a hinged shelf portion, a depending part on said top portion detachably interlocked with portions on said side members, and a collapsible tray of the jumble type mounted upon and detachably interlocked with said top portion.

13. A merchandise display apparatus, consisting of a collapsible base portion constructed to represent or simulate a plurality of containers arranged in stacked relationship and composed of a front piece and two side members hinged together and adapted to be arranged so as to form a substantially channel shape structure disposed in an upright position, hinged parts at the upper ends of said side members provided with means 10 for holding said side members in a distended condition, a collapsible top portion constructed to aitab a 

